Eric Holder and the Nation of Cowards

In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” said Holder, nation’s first black attorney general.

Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but “we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.”

Given that he is the appointee of the first black (sort of) President (who was actually elected with a majority vote,) this may seem odd. But there are some things to note about this.

First, one of the main reasons why we “simply do not talk enough with each other about race” is because we fear that, if we do not toe someone’s politically correct line on the subject at all times, we’ll be labelled bigots. So silence is easier.

Second, this overlooks the fact that one group of people who has tried to integrate–Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians–get no credit for this. Why? Because a) they seriously believe in God and b) they’re considered homophobes! (The migration of the Anglicans led by the Africans should be seen in the same light.) It’s always something with the ruling classes in this country! I think they’re just running Rusty with us, making one new “requirement” up after another.

One way to address this is for those who participate in the backlash campaign against Proposition 8 to quit using the N-word when describing the group of people who voted 70-30 in favour of the ballot initiative.

Three years ago my local church celebrated its centennial. After the main celebration service I told a friend that we’ll probably celebrate the 125th anniversary in Spanish. (Looking at my Facebook friends, I’m sure of it.) Maybe then they’ll get off our backs, if for no other reason than that they don’t have the stomach to take on the teachers trade union and upgrade our foreign language education, so they’ll still only know English.